Concrete road joint



c. OLDER CONCRETE ROAD JOINT June ll, 1940.

5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Nov. 17, 1937 www@ A www mw y Mezz/Z271 CZWQTJ .n lllllllllll 1 June 11, 1940. c. OLDER CONCRETE ROAD JOINT Filed Nov. 17, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 c. OLDER CONCRETE ROAD JOINT Filed Nov. 17, 1931 June Il, 1940.

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Patented Jane 11, 1940 am STATE CONCRETE nom)I JoINT Clifford omer, Winnette, ni.

7, wensen@ No.

, Application November l [15" claims` icl. eil-18") The present invention relates to concrete `road jointaand is particularly `comzernedwith con-W lcrete road joints adapted to permit expansion` and `contraction of the concrete and to maintain the concrete `slabs inalignment without damage tothe roadway, due tosuch contraction andexpansion. i

This application isla continuationin part of my prior application, Serial` No. 80,281, filed May 18, `1936,2tor Concrete road joints, and relates `particularly to one of the modifications disclosed in that application.- Y i i One of the objectsofthe present invention is i the provision of an expansion` joint of` the air cushion type, the length `of which `may `be adjusted as desired,.in the eld, justbeforel the in- `stallation of the joint. f

i `The air cushion typeljoints of the prior art are i atiipresent fabricated in the` shop to a xed length. Inj` the event` of l a mistake in the determinationof the length ofthe joint, Whichmight and does happen` morefrequently on `joints lof `various lengths which lareused oncurves, the

preafabricated joints would prove too long to"l go between theside forms.

the contractor, the engineer, andthe `expansion joint manufacturen with` the 1 result that `the manufacturer must either provide anew joint or pay the additional cost of .widening the pavement to t the "joint which he has providedQ Such errors sometimeshappen in the determinar wtion ofqthe lengthpf` joints for along `stretch of road, in which case it may cause thejoint manufacturer a great deal of cost to furnish an entirenew batch of joints` or to pay Ythe vadditional cost of widening miles of pavement, in-L` j cluding the cost of adapting the contractors `adjustment of the length of gthe air Acushio l templates, etc. to the `odd, width. f

`It will7 therefore, beevident that itjis a matter of considerable importance to provide `for the joints in the field.

Another object of the invention is the provision of an improved `concrete road joint ofthe air cushion type which permitsfthe building up of any length of (joint of `simple standard length parts, except as to thelength ofthe dowel plate and, seal paps, whichlcan bequickly out to the proper length eitheriin theshop` or eldl.` r1"his arrangement effects asurprising economy inthe manufacture of concrete road joints.

` i Another. object ofthe invention is ftheprovision of an improved concrete roadjointof the `air cushion` type, which employspartsfofjxed rialza@ `standarddimensionswhich are so assembled that the length of the complete joint may bevaried within certain limits. i

`The need for this variation arises from the `fact that whileY the `tangents or separate portions lof f. the pavement are `usually of `one width, for example, twenty feet', the `width on curves is` often 'increasedby varying amountaqdepending upon cushion joints are constructed as a complete rigid metal envelope Unit `in shop, and the'ocld lengthsare marked for` particular locations l in the pavement; Such odd lengths can beused nowhere else, as the construction is such that it is` entirely impracticalto alter the length of the joint in thefield; Thisactually causes much eX'- pense in taking proper lengths off the plans,

building the special lengths, distributing them i to `proper locations yin i the `leld, and marking each` of them for its .properplaca It is well i t l known `that this necessity for special lengths is In such case this causes a controversy between a source of much trouble and expense`.`

The present invention relates to suchaicon'-` struction, as it permits an easy field adjustment of a standard joint to any speciallength within predetermined limits. i. i

Another object of the `invention is' the provision ci such an adjustable length air` cushion joint for "concrete roadways which may be `assembled in the field as a unit-andsecured togetherto be self-supporting when installed upon the terrain i for the laying of thecohcrete.l p i t Other objects andadvantages of the invention `will be apparent from the followingdeseriptii'nn` and the acc'fornpanyingy drawings, in'whichsiinilar characters of refere'nceiindicate similar parts throughout the several views. Referring tol the`three sheets of drawings:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational View` yof a concrete road `joint constructed according to `the present invention,ish,own in `proper position forinstallation of the concrete;

Fig. 2 isa larger vertical sectional View taken on the plane ofl the line 2-2 of Fig; 1, with the concrete inpl'ace, showing -the complete ,con-` structionof the roadway;

sof

Fig. 3 is a `vertical fragmentary sectional view, i

f taken on the plane of the `line 3--3 of Fig. ,2,

showing thedetailslof construction at one of the v pointswhere sections of the.joint shield adjo-in the View of Fig. 2, except that it is taken at the point 5 of Fig. 4, between the ends of two of the sections of the shield;

Fig. 6 is a vertical elevational View of onev of the end cover plates and clamping members;l

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the end cover plate and clamping member of Fig. 6; Y y

- Fig. 8 is a view in perspective of an air cushion joint of the type described, with certain parts broken away or omitted, so as to show many of the details of construction of the joint in one drawing; 1 y

Fig. 9 is a view in perspective of an end closure plate andclamping member of the ltype shown in Figs. 6 and '7. n

Figs. 10, 11 and l2 showthe preferred shapes of the joint at the edge of the pavement.

Referring'to Fig. 8, ID indicates in its entirety the concrete roadway joint, which is ,adapted to bey installed as'a unit, but may be altered as to length on the job. The joint preferably includesv a vdowel plate II,`which may consist of a strip of steel of predetermined thickness adapted to withstand any shearing forces which mightv be applied toit, and to transmit load from one concrete slab I2 to the other I3 (Fig. 2).

The upper and lower surfaces I4, I5 of the dowel plate are vparallel to each other and are adapted vto slidably engage the parts of a shield,

further to ybe described. The width of the dowel plate is such that it projects into each of the `concrete sections I2 and I3, and extends across the air space of thejoint, but leaves a space I6,

,I'I .between` the dowel plate II and the shields (Fig. 2) I8, I9 for initial expansion of the conicrete.

` 'I'he dowel plate material may be provided in `standard lengths, and where the joint is installed` asa unit is preferably all in one length, extending from one edge ofthe pavement to the other side, but does not necessarily extend theextreme edgeof the pavement, as it may be shorter and still support `the other parts of the joint to provide a movable unit. Additional dowel plate material isV preferably `provided in the field with a shearV or hack-sawso that it maybe cut to proper length vto adjust the joint to theodd lengths required for curves, intersections, Y junctions, etc.

The shields I8 and I9 may be similar in shape and construction except' that they are reversed in position onthe dowel plate, as shown in Fig. 2, and therefore a minimum number of standard shapes of shield are required for the central portions ofthe'joint. Figs. 10,]11 and 12 show the preferred vpavement sections at the edges of the pavement, and shields for this part of the pavement will be made at the shop to fit the desired cross section of thepavement adjacent the edge ,ofv the roadway. This effects a great economy in the manufacture of the joint.

Thefshield is made of relatively thin sheet metal, such as steel, which is resilient, yet relatively stilf. The shieldy I8, for example, has a substantially U-shaped central portion surrounding the air space I6 at the edge of the dowel plate I I and comprises the upper flange 29, lower flange 2l, and `a U-shaped bend or easy curve 22.

desired in the joint, as

33, 34, but will be spaced therefrom.

The upper ange 29 supports an upwardly extending flange 23, which extends up into the flexible expansible member 24. The lower flange 2| of the shield I 8 supports a downwardly extending flange 25, which extends downward into the lower fiexible member 26.

Flanges 23and 25 are preferably at right angles to the flanges 20 and 2|, and the flanges 23 and 25 are preferably in the same plane. The dowel plate II is preferably approximately midmission. Theirwidth is such that with the flexible members 26 and 24, the flanges 23, 25, vand U-shaped bend 22 substantially span the depth way between the top and the bottom of the concrete, to utilize the strength of the concreteV thickness to the best advantage for load transof the concrete; but I prefer to leave theupper seal 24'slightly below the surface and round ofi the edge of each concrete section to the inner surface of the flexible member 24 at the points v2l, 28 with an edging tool.

Thefconstruction o-f the other shieldis substantially the same, and therefore need not be` described in detail.

Since it` is desirable to locate the 'top of the joint vbelow the top surface of the concrete, for

the protection of the joint from traiiidthe ange 23 may be narrower than flange 25 by an amount sufficient to secure these results.

Various types of flexible members 24, 26 or sealing members may be employed, but I prefer to employ asealing member ofthe shape shown, which has a central expansible portion 29 having a substantially flat bottom 3U and a pair of upwardly extending walls 3|, 32.

Atthe top of the walls 3l, 32 there is an easy bend or substantially cylindrical bead 33, 34, to the edge of which is connected a downwardly extending ilange 35, 39 at each side. 'Ihe downwardly extending flanges 35, 36 arepreferably longer' than -the flanges3l, `32, for a purpose furthe'r-"torbe described;` and they support the anchoring flanges` 3l, 38wl'1ich extend into the concrete sections I2, I3, andare anchored therein by any suitable anchoring formation, such as an upwardly turned edge 39.

The vertical.' flanges 3|, 35 and 32, 36 are adapted to receive between them the upwardly extending ilanges 23 of the shields I8 and I9. The seal or flexible member 24 is preferably made of non-corrodible bendable material, such as copper, and thelwidth of the bottom flange 30 'of the seal is determined bythe initial air space hereinafter.

' VSuch a sealing memberl 24, 26 is preferably will be further discussed .Y

the sealing member may be yreplaced by strips or blocks of rubber'or other elastic material for yclosingv the top and the bottom'of the joint. In `any event, the uppermost sealing member 24 has its` trough preferably filled with an initially plasticV filler 40 to prevent ingress of undesirable elements, such as sand and rock, which might be compressed between parts of the seal or concrete sections to the detriment of the joint.`

In some embodiments of the invention the beads 33,34 may be providedgwith a wire ller 4I or a ller of compressible material,` 'such as a ycord of jute, hemp, cotton, or the like, the pur-'- pose of the` llerbeing to provide support for the uppermostedges of the shield flanges 23, so that these shield flanges will not cut into the beads .lao n In other embodiments of the invention, as shown in Fig. 2, the clamping members 42, 43

`may extend upward far enough to engage the shields I8, I9 slidably engage the dowel plate Il; 1

but, due to the thinness of the material of which i the shields I9 and 20 are made, theclamps 42 and 43 are provided for holding the flanges. 20 and 2l in tight sliding engagement with the dowel plate II.

Each clamping member preferably comprises the central U-shaped portion 44, which may be provided with the upper and lower parallel flanges 45, 46. These parallel iianges are joined by the U-shaped bend 41, which embraces the s `similarly shaped portion of `the shield I8 in such manner that the walls 20 and 2 I` `of the shield are clamped in tight sliding engagement with the dowel plate II.

` `The clamping members42, 43 each have the upwardly extending members 46, which are adapted to support the vertical flanges 23 of the shields by engaging on `the outside of these flanges.

I prefer, however, touse a minimum number of gaps in the top and seallmembers, as the fewer splices used in the seal, the better and more tight the seal construction will be. I i

In some embodiments of the invention the op erator can be provided with suitable lengths of seal which "can be cut off with the tin shears or hack-saw to the length of the joint, and the seal` can be made all in one piece, spanning all ofthe gaps in the shields.

In other embodiments of `the invention, the

joint may have but one splice in the seals and at the middle of the roadwhere it is notas ob` jectionab-le to provide an opening as it is towards the sides. The middle of the road is at the crown or the high part of the pavement, Where there isa minimum of water and dirt.

Therefore, I wish it to be understood that in the preferred embodiment the seal gaps may be provided in `two equal lengths with an adjustable splice 63 at the center ofthe roadway covering the gap 51A.

The clamping members 42 and 43 are identical in shape,` and therefore only one of them ne-ed be described. Below the` U-shaped portion 44 of the clamping member 43 there is a downwardly extending leg 49 located in the same plane as the upwardly extending member 48 and engag" ing the outside of the downwardly extending iiange 25 `of the shield I6. The leg 49 is bent outward at 56, and downward again at 5I, so as to extend around the parts of the lower flexible member or seal 26.

The downwardly extending portion 52 and other lower parts of the clamp may be` long i enough to hold the joint up high enough so that the lower edges of the flanges 25 of the shield are held up out of the'beads of the sealing member 26. In other embodiments of the invention the bottom vseal beads may be` provided with wires or` other iillers like the` top seal. In other `embodiments. a temporary seal may be used at the bottom, as shown at 26A, without anchor ilanges. Each clamping member is preferably provided with an outwardly extending foot iiange 53, which preferably has an aperture 54 for receiving a stake 55, driven into the terrain through the aperture 54, and preferably so located that its upper end bears against the U- shaped bend 41 of the clamping member 44. By means of two such 'stakes as shown in Fig. 2, the i'ixity and assembly of the joint during the pouring of the concrete is assured, although the clamping members are suicient to hold the joint together so that it may be installed as a unit.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 8, the shields I8 and I9 are preferably constructed in the form of a Fig. 1, are preferably of heavier material and wider stock so as to overlap the shields on each sideof the gap 56. The clamping members may, for example, be approximately six inches wide,

`except `atthe end, where they may be made narrow, as shown at the right side of Fig. 1.

The shield members may "also have their iianges 23 and 25 wider at the edges of the pavement, as shown at the left in Fig. 1; and the clamping member for that position may also have its upwardly and downwardly extending iianges 48 and 49`lo`nger at the extreme edge of the pavement because "the `pavement is generally made thicker at its edges.

The iiexible expansible members or seals 24 and 26 at the top and bottom of the joint may also be made in sections or lengths corresponding to the shield sections lll, 13a, |8131, etc., as shown in Fig. 1, and this permits accommodation of the length of the joint to the width of the pavement so that there is little possibility of any such error being made in the dimensions of the joint as to cause trouble at the time of installation;

The length of the complete joint may be adjustable, and the gaps 56, 51 may be wider or narrower, without affecting the operation of the joint.

, In order to prevent the concrete, when it is poured, `from running into the space 58 of the air cushion joint, it is necessary to close the gap at the top and bottom of the joint, which is `caused by the absence of the full length of sealis poured.

These blocks are not, however, stili enough to 4 resist the expansion of the concrete sections I2 and. I3, and when the concrete expands the blocks `5l) and other blocks in the space 58 become flat-- tened out in the space 58.

Blocks 56 and 69 are of such height that they extend from the dowelplate II to the lower flange 29 of the` seal 24 or to the upper flange `2S of the seal 26. Thus thataperture into the space is closed, even though there is a gap between the sectionsiof seal. r The blocks 59 and 56 may be substantially as long as the width of the clamps 43, so as to overlap into the shields and seals of the joint.

The joint is also preferably provided with a plurality of other small blocks lor strips 61|, 62, arranged above and below the dowel plate Il at regularly spaced points, as shown in Fig. 8, to maintain the spacing of the shield flanges with respect to each other. The clamping members l2 and 43 may then be pushed on the shields Hl and IS until the shield flanges abut against the blocks Sil- 62, and the shields are thus held in fixed position.

It should be understood that the width of the space 58 between the shield flanges, that is, the air cushioned space, is such as to permit the expansion desired between the sections of concrete, with enough space left over to provide room for the plastic blocks 53-62 after they have been flattened out.

Should abnormal expansion occur, that is, expansion beyond that expected, during which these asphalt members in the new form of sheets are compressed between the ends of Athe concrete sections, the asphalt will act as a hydraulic cushion, vdistributing the force appliedbetween the ends of the concrete sections uniformly over the ends of the sections, so that there is less possibility of damage to the concrete.

It is well known that it is practically impossible to get these concrete section ends or edges absolutely uniform in surface, or to make them plane surfaces parallel to each other. Thus, it is inevitable that the ends of the concrete sections would engage first at some irregularity which would place all of the load on that point, but the presence of the asphalt hydraulic cushion distributes this load over the complete area of the ends of the concrete sections and prevents suchdamage. v y

The blocks 59v and t0 are, of course, confined above and below andon all sides, except their ends, and therefore held in place. The blocks 6I and 62 may be secured in place by the use of tie wires or a plastic adhesive composition.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, this is a View of an additional improvement or modification in which the gaps at 5E, 5l above and below between the seal sections 24, 26, etc., are spanned by short sections of seal, which may be indicated by the numeral 63.

As indicated in Fig. 5, this short section of seal 63 may have its proportions slightly larger so that it is adapted to t over and overlap the ends of the seal sections 24, 24a, etc. However, as these seals are made of very flexible material, such as copper, even a standard length of the ordinary seal may be forced over the ends of adjacent seal sections and caused to'make an approximate fit.

Referring to Figs. 6, 7 and 9, these are views showing the structure of a special clamping member adapted also to secure to the joint the end plate which closes the end of the air cushion space.

This end plate B4 may comprise a sheet metal member of the same height as the air space in the joints and of sufficient width to span this air space and to leave room for attachment of the clamping member 65 and a closure flange 65.

The clamping member is of the same structure as the clamping members 43, 43a, previously described, but may be narrower in width.

The flange 6B comprises a piece of sheet metal, which may be secured to the end plate 64, with a plurality of spot welds, and which is bent diagonally at 6l until theV edge 6B comes into the plane of the outer surface of the end plate 64. This forms a space 69, which is free of concrete,rto permit expansion of the concrete toward that edge of the end plate. The sheet metal flange 66 would then be bent backward againstthe end plate 64 during the expansion of the concrete, having served its function of providing the space 69.'

lt will' thus be observed that I have invented an vimproved concrete road joint, lwhich may be installed as a unit, but the length of lwhich may readily be varied on the job, so that there 1s no possibility of troubledue to a few inches variation between the length of'the joint supplied and the proper length' of the joint.y Furthermore, the joints may be provided in vsections and assembled on the job and the difficulty of taking the lengths of joints off blueprintsand plans and providing the joints with exactly the right length for each position on a widened pavement, at a curved intersection or Y, may be eliminated.

The present joint is adapted to provide both for expansion and contraction,.and in the event of abnormal and unexpected expansion the initially plastic asphalt blocks which serve as spacers may act as a hydraulic cushion for preventing damage to the nearest parts of the ends Vof the pavement sections.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is: l

1. A concrete road joint unit comprising a dowel plate of predetermined length and a pair of shield members carried by said dowel plate, each shield member comprising an upwardly extending flange and a downwardly extending flange, and a pair of horizontal flanges for slidably engaging the dowel plate, and space being provided between said Vertical flanges and between the edge of said dowel plate andthe juncture of said horizontal flanges for initial expansion, and flexible expansible members carried by the upper flanges of said shields and the lower flanges of said shields, said shields being formed in a plurality of sections slidably engaging said dowel plate, and clamping members of sufficient width to span a crack between adjacent sections of shield, said clamping members engaging said horizontal anges and holding them in tight contact with said dowel plate, said clamping members being provided with downwardly extending legs and laterally projecting feet whereby the joint may be supported stably on the terrain.

2. In a concrete road joint, the combination of a dowel plate extending across the concrete road, with a plurality of shieldsections, said shield sections being mounted on one edge of said dowel plate by means of a pair of parallel horizontal flanges slidably engaging said dowel plate, said shields having vertically extending upper and lower flanges substantially spanning the thickness of the concrete roadway, a plurality of clamping members engaging said sections, said clamping members being of sufficient width to span cracks between said .sections to assure the All upwardly extending legs, and said downwardly v extending legs having laterally turned feet for stably supporting the concrete road joint.

3. In a concrete road joint, the combinationof a dowel plate extending across-the concrete road,

with a plurality of shield sections, said shield sections being mounted on one edge of said dowel plate by means of a pair of parallel horizontal ilanges slidably engaging said dowel plate, said shields having vertically extending upper and lower flanges substantially spanning the thick-` ness of the concrete roadway, a plurality of clamping members engaging said sections, said clamping members being of sufficient width to span cracks between said sections to assure the continuity of the shield flange walls in spite of the shortness of the shields relative to the complete length of dowel plate, a plurality of similar sealing sections carried by the opposite edge of.,

compressible to provide a hydraulic cushion when` concrete expands and compresses the blocks.

4. In a `concrete road joint, a load transmission structure adapted to be assembled on the job and` made to conform at that time without cutting to varying widths `of joints at curves or the like,

comprising a dowel plate adapted to compensate for differences in width of the road at that point, a pair of shield members of flexible sheet metal, each shield member having ank upwardly extending iiange, a U-shaped fold engaging the dowel plate edge and a downwardly extending ange, said shield members being located on said dowel plate end to end with a predetermined space between the shield members to adjust the combined length thereof to the width of the roadway and a clamping member, said clamping mem-` ber having a U-shaped fold adapted to bind the exible U-shaped fold of the shield members in tight sliding engagement with the dowel plate, and said clamping `member being of a Width adapted `to span the crack between the shield members and having upwardly and downwardly extending flanges to effect a closure of all `openings between the shield members.

` 5. In a concrete road joint, thecombination of a dowel plate extending across the concrete road, with a plurality of shield sections, said shield sections being mounted on one edge of said dowel plate by means of a pair of parallel horizontal iianges slidably engaging said dowel plate, said shields having vertically extending upper and lower flanges substantially spanning the thick ness of the concrete roadway, a plurality of clamping members engaging said sections, said clamping members being of suiiicient width to span cracks between said sections to assure the continuity of the shield flange walls in spite of the shortness of the shields relative `to the` complete4 length 'of dowel plate, a plurality of similar sealing sections carried by the opposite edge of said dowel plate and likewise held in position by clamping members, said clamping members being provided with downwardly extending and upwardly extending legs.

, CLIFFORD OLDER. 

